Former candidate for Oklahoma attorney general is sued

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A former candidate for Oklahoma attorney general is being sued by the federal government for the loss of nearly 41,000 trees on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land in northeastern Oklahoma.

The lawsuit filed Feb. 8 alleges Gentner Drummond and his Drummond Ranch LLC hired two companies to apply herbicides by air to about 1,000 acres (405 hectares) on the ranch that killed the trees on Corps-owned land adjacent to the ranch.

The lawsuit first reported by the Tulsa World seeks unspecified compensatory damages and court costs.

Drummond said in a statement to The Associated Press that the government appears to be acting "contrary to wildlife management and natural range development."

Drummond lost the Republican primary for attorney general in 2018 to incumbent Mike Hunter by fewer than 300 votes.